


he mau makuahine (a series of moments)

by boneswrites



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Cuddling, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s10e22 Aloha (Goodbye), Family, Family Fluff, Fix It, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Old Steve and Danny, Post-Canon Fix-It, Team as Family, post-series finale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23603779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boneswrites/pseuds/boneswrites
Summary: Various moments that take place after the series finale, starting with Steve coming home and the years that follow, leading up to old Steve and Danny sitting side by side on their beach, bickering and watching sunsets. Steve and Danny never leave each other’s sides. They are each other’s home.Or, pivotal moments in Steve and Danny's lives as they grow old together.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 12
Kudos: 68





	he mau makuahine (a series of moments)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So it took me nearly a week after watching the series finale to start writing this. I had gotten the idea right after watching the finale, but boy did it take time for that finale to sink in. And deep down, I know that Steve would return to Hawaii and to Danny, and that they spend the rest of their lives side by side, and they do end up old, together, sitting on their beach and watching sunsets. So I thought about writing a series of moments that lead to that. I hope you enjoy and feedback is always greatly appreciated!

It’s been a year since Steve left Hawaii. Left to find peace. And Danny was given the lead of Five-0 after his medical leave. But it wasn’t the same without Steve. How could it be? Nothing was the same. It even felt weird for Danny to drive his own car. Steve left a big gaping hole in his wake, and anywhere and everywhere Danny would look, he would notice it. Notice the empty void where Steve would be sitting or standing. Or ironing his shirt on the table in the middle of the kitchen. Even the malasadas don’t taste the same. 

Junior had convinced Danny to stay with him at Steve’s for another week during his recovery after the SEAL had left, telling him he won’t be fully satisfied with Danny’s condition if he had went back to his place and stayed there alone. _Now that Steve isn’t here to march into your house with his spare key and check on you_ went unsaid. 

_“You know there’s no rush for you to leave, right?” Junior had asked._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“You know, you can stay here for as long as you want. Or need.”_

_“My house is perfectly functional, so…”_

_“Stay here for another week or two,” Junior had insisted. “You’re still pretty early in your recovery and I’d feel better if someone was around for another week,” Junior continued._

And truth be told, Danny hadn’t minded the company. And he knew Junior knew him well enough by that point to be there but not there at the same time. And well, Steve’s house is Danny’s house after all. Even though being in the house without Steve stung a little. And Danny also knew the team wanted to keep a close eye on him with Steve’s departure, knowing it would impact him the most. And he was grateful for that, even if he was unable to communicate it at the time. 

So, Danny had accepted. He was in no condition to sleep on the couch and Steve’s bedroom was available. No, it was empty. Too empty, if you ask Danny when he stood in the doorway the night of Steve’s departure. He hovered for a few moments before pushing one foot in front of the other,putting his weight on the cane in his grip and dropped on the bed. And then he was engulfed in the scent that is all _Steve_. Danny had to close his eyes to keep it from overwhelming him.

He and Junior would sit in the living room, particularly after a long, tiring case and watch whatever was on the tv. And the space next to Danny on the couch felt too empty. Eddie stuck to his side, rarely leaving it and it brought Danny comfort. Even with how close Eddie is to the rest of the team, the dog clung to Danny’s side. And when Danny eventually left Steve’s house and went back to his own, Eddie went with him. 

It’s Charlie asking about Steve that had really hit the Jersey native. As his young boy looked up with wide eyes and asked about his Uncle Steve.

“ _Danno, where’s Uncle Steve?”_

_“He’s, uh, he travelled for a while, buddy. There’s something he has to do and he had to leave to do it.”_

_“When is he coming back?”_

_Danny swallowed against the lump in his throat. “I wish I knew, buddy.”_

That night, Danny sent a text to Steve, telling him Charlie asked about him and misses him, that they all do. The reply came a few hours later. _I miss you all, too, Danno. Give Charlie-boy a hug from me._

Slowly, as the weeks and months trickled by, Danny’s involvement in Five-0 began to lessen, as he would often give Lou the ropes and with Lincoln Cole’s addition to the team, Danny saw that they had everything under control. He, of course, would work on cases with them, but the truth is, it had gotten hard. Too hard. And a pang of pain drummed in Danny’s chest every time he looked across the hall and saw Steve’s empty office. 

And slowly, Danny stopped going to the office. 

He always knew a day would come and he would retire. He had a good run, and he knew he would be ready when the time came. Except that ten years ago, when Steve McGarrett knocked on his door and made him his partner, shortly after that, Danny knew he wouldn’t retire without Steve. And they’d be doing…whatever people did in their retirement together, even if it’s just sitting on Steve’s private beach together and drinking beer. But Steve’s been gone for eight months now and Danny just doesn’t know what he would do with his time if he retired. He thinks he’d probably go crazy. 

_Lou was over at Danny’s place and they were talking over beers. “I don’t know, man. I know it’s time, but what the hell am I going to do?”_

_“Whatever you want to do,” Lou had responded._

_Danny had shaken his head at that. “I always thought me and Steve would retire together, the restaurant was going to be…well, that doesn’t matter now, that didn’t work out. Point is, whatever people do after they retire, I thought I’d be doing that with Steve but he isn’t here.”_

_“You know why he had to leave, Danny.”_

_Danny nodded. “I know, and I get it, I completely understand, I just wish he’d be back already.”_

_“What Steve’s looking for, you can’t rush that,” Lou sighed. “And you can’t put a timeframe on it, either.”_

_“I just wish he realized what he’s looking for is right here, in Hawaii.”_

So Danny doesn’t retire. He works cases. Has meals with the team as Kamekona’s. Takes Eddie for walks. Spends his weekends with Charlie eating pizza and building pillow forts. Checks on Nahele. Throws a football around with him. Video chats with Grace. Misses Steve. 

He and Steve keep in touch. Sending texts and photos, a few phone calls here and there. They catch up, mostly at night, when Danny’s already in bed, lying in the dark with nothing but his phone screen for light. Steve’s first destination was Jersey, as promised, but after that, he went all over. He’s in a new place every few weeks. But he makes sure Danny knows where he is. _Don’t make me come find you_. 

Charlie is taller than he was when Steve left by the time the tenth month passes. Eddie is more content, too, doing his part in making Danny calm and happy. The team is functioning well. But Danny, Danny can’t help but notice the absence of Steve. 

Danny sometimes got the urge to go over to Steve’s house. To step inside it, run his hand over the furniture, to sit on the lanai and watch the waves crash at the end of the backyard. He would stay for the sunset, the colors of the sky changing and merging, and when the sun was finally down, he’d get up, close the sliding door behind him and exits the house, Eddie on his heels. 

And one year after Steve left, that is what Danny is doing when Steve comes back. 

Steve hadn’t told anyone he’d be returning. He thought about sending a text to Danny as his plane took off, or when he landed in Oahu. Maybe even a phone call once he was back on Hawaiian ground. But he didn’t. He wasn’t exactly sure what he would say to Danny. So instead, he got into a cab and headed for his house. He wanted to see Danny, to hug him, to hold him close. And somehow, Steve knew Danny would be at his house. 

His gut feeling is confirmed when the cab pulls up to Steve’s house and he sees the signature Camaro parked by the curb. A new one, but also black. 

Steve pushes the front door open, and he stops to take it all in. Everything is exactly like he left it. And yeah, this place, with all it’s good and bad, is home. 

He drops his duffle bag by the stairs and spots the slightly opened glass door. He makes his way and steps out into the lanai, and down by the beach, he sees the familiar mop of blond hair, sitting on one of the chairs, looking out into the open, endless horizon. And Steve’s heart jumps in his chest at the sight. 

Eddie smells him before anything else can happen, the dog immediately getting up from where Danny was absentmindedly running his fingers through his soft fur and turns around, racing towards Steve and barking.

“Eddie!” Danny is quickly brought back with the dog’s sudden hysteric movement. He gets up and goes to follow him only to freeze in his tracks when he sees who Eddie is jumping on.

He briefly thinks he’s hallucinating. But Eddie can’t be hallucinating, too. Except if he’s hallucinating this whole moment. He really hopes he isn’t hallucinating. 

He watches for a few more moments, Eddie now running in circles around Steve and then Steve is looking up at Danny. And those eyes, they look _real_. And the smile that’s spreading on Steve’s bearded face…that has to be real, too. 

They stare at each other in silence for another moment or two. And it’s Steve who breaks it.

“Hey, Danno. I’m home.” 


End file.
